Maria...first follow up

[Sbyrne97]

So my name is Sam...everyone calls me diego though, even though I don't speak spanish...but am brown....Anyway so My family got a 97 mercury mountianeer in 2000 for 20,000 (ballpark number). So I have been around in this baby alot, summer vacations, family stuff, even rides home from grade school....Anyway in summer of 2007 it was handed to me, by my dad...I paid him 500$, we got quoted 900$ from some stealership...My dad had kept in awesome shape...and got routine matience...

Well as a dumb 16 y/o I didn't really follow his routine, and kinda let the thing sit....In summer of 2008 I took a auto shop class, senior elective, and really got into the whole car thing, I found this site from looking up (ford explorer v8) on google.

Since then I have taken care of the thing like my own...but still regret those first 12 months....and have named her Maria...if i get another truck it's going to be called Carmen

I plan on keeping the girl for at least another 2 years....I hope longer

I have a few threads around here or there, just some minor car care....and I now Know a thing or two just by spending 4+ hours on the site every other day...So I'm not entirely a newb

anyway here's what I have done to Maria,

Ripped off running boards, painted interior, added fogs
haha i Know kinda pathetic

Heres whats going to happen in the 6 months
Tailgate swap 97 -> 98

warrior shackles...TT...rancho shocks, (anyone care to school me on shocks?), Intake, LED conversion, 3 inch BL, 32's, switch glass from 97-->98

What i'm going to pray for:
BW4406 swap, westin brush guard, EATC swap, Paint job

Anyway I appreciate you all's threads and enjoy all the serious explorer's out there....

MY truck is a mountaineer but will soon be a Forcury, as I am swapping tailgates and grilles

 

[Dan Whitaker]

Wow. $20k in 2000. I paid $11k for my 97 Mounty in 2001

At least you only paid $500

 

[Charlie]

Don't forget, with the newer style tailgate you will also need the newer rear lights-

 

[Sbyrne97]

haha it only had two hundred miles on it, plus my pops got 5,000 back cause he sold our old taurus, the old man he bought it from didn't like the weight of the truck, and said it drove too much like a truck.....which it is....


Yeah i got a new tialgate and lights located for 250 in a yard around here....ill post up the swap in this thread...although i got to paint it though...kinda nervous about that....

Anyone have any painting tips...or just general know how....Is rattle can paint any good???? should i go to a shop?

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

welcome my name is sam as well nice 2 meet ya

 

[Sbyrne97]

Thanks Sam...nice to meet you too

So saw transformers 2 at 1 am today, it was awesome, couldn't fall asleep so I went down to the river (Potomac) and snapped a few shots while waiting for the sunrise.....

Lot's a nature in the morning...saw two ospreys diving in and out of the water for some fish...one got a fish but dropped it due to weight I assume......plus a blue heron who picked up a fish....

big catfish trying to catch bugs I guess....gotta remember to bring my rod down next time

 

[parad1mg]

nice! damn, i badly miss virginia!! all the nice places you could go to, civilized roads and the awesome weather.. i used to go kayaking in this little river outlet down in kinsale and spend the weekend over at my uncles place.. i'm heading back as soon as i finish up my studies and rebuilt this mountaineer of mine since i'll be using her to drive back east

and the name thing, mine is carlo but people always put an "s" at the end and assume that i'm spanish or something to that extent but i'm full asian blooded.. its weird though..

 

[Sbyrne97]

OH!! yeah i saw you on another thread once you used to live around springfield once didn't you?...hmm your family from the Philippines? Carlo nice name...I never really thought i would name my truck...until one day when i met this Hot spanish girl named Maria...one thing led to another...And thus the truck name was born

The river is the potomac...but the this is the mouth leading up towards Washington DC...everyone mistakes it for a lake though....

CA huh...well it can't be too bad....I do love a Virginia Fall though

 

[BrianDye]

What a steal on your mounty
I talked....i mean my mom talked the guy i got my 92 down from like 1800 to 900 lmao its an eddie....great interior, just rusted to hell rockers

I have a 95 now, how is your interior holding up painted? Im converting the 95 I got from that like intense tan, to black, and im nervous about being in the sun and it peeling and whatnot...I used 2-3 coats of the dash/vinyl paint, then 2-3 coats of clear.

 

[Sbyrne97]

Brian My paint has held up pretty nicely...I painted rocker covers door seal, cloth on door panel, and speaker cover...tiny nicks and stuff....but those are mainly the rocker panel covers???...I'm not sure the correct name...I have another thread where I painted them...look it up if your interested....but the other stuff holds up pretty well...as for sun damage....just take care of it...with a little armor all protectant and touch up's here and there....

I've been following your thread...and the only thing I see that may wear is the arm rests....due to friction and sun and stuff just watch for those...

Remember we gotta change our liftgates soon...looking forward to see your progress...

As for everyone out there...I need some painting advice...want to paint the hatch I'm going to buy...but I'm wondering if spray paint will be ok?? any advice

 

[BrianDye]

Thats another thing I was scared of, is using cleaners and whatnot on it...but I guess it should be ok

And yea, I just gotta get my lazy ass out to some junkyards lmao and look for a gate, hopefully black though!

Ive been wondering lately how hard it would be to convert my tails to the 3rd/4th gen style....if theyre taller and wider, it would be just simple cutting, and splicing the bulb sockets, if theyre smaller, it wouldnt be worth it, filling in the body and such.

Im gonna look into that too when I goto a junkyard.
So wheres the plastic top for your bumper! LOL fill those holes in if you took it off

 

[parad1mg]

yup, i'm the flip from springfield i've been all over on both sides.. did my time in new york (city and country side), virginia, maryland, pennsylvania, nevada, san francisco, LA/OC area which i'm currently staying at.. if i were to stay here in the west i'd go to san francisco

i never name my truck after past girls.. just brings up memories but i still refer to my truck as a "she"..

with the tail lights, you can make it work but it will take some extensive body work skills just to make it look like it came from the factory that way..

with the rattle can paint, you might get away if your truck is white but painting larger surfaces with rattle cans just makes the paint patchy and it clearly shows that when light hits the paint.. plus rattle cans cant match the durability of real car body paint.. believe me i've tried it already and the biggest thing that you can do with rattle cans/spray paint are long, small to medium size, and not big enough to be the center of attention kind of area..

 

[Sbyrne97]

Haha well the past girl was just a one night stand...no attachment....

3rd 4th gen lights huh? Well just an fyi the 3rd 4th gens have larger lights i think...and as parad1gm said it would be a lot of cutting and triming to get it on snug...and then you would probably have to paint with all the cuts and nicks in it....but if it is what you want to do...then go ahead...post a writeup

Bumper trim was taken off by me....thrown away by the trashcompany....don't ever put your parts near the trashcan....I need a new bumper anyway...that thing has taken 4 bump and runs...2 of them by me...the other 2 by someone else....no accident report though

Thanks for the paint...thats what i thought....I guess i'll have to take it to a shope, I hope they don't jip me though

Saw a bronco EB on the side of the road today for sale...I'm going to call the owner see how much they want....would love to get my hands on a bronco

 

[BrianDye]

Haha yeah, I dont tend to leave non garbage next to the garbage lmao, but I mean paintwise, I doubt they would charge too much just to paint that one thing...

But yea, I took my gf's little bro to the skatepark one day, and it was basically nighttime, and some punkass kids are in this car parked like behind me in the next row though, and they decide to mess with theyre friend, he goes to get in, they floor it backwards (towards me) and then stop, then he gets in, and they floor it again and come about an inch from smoking me, so I was running like crazy after them cussin them out then they stopped, didnt even roll down theyre windows, then took off



...pissed me off lol.

 

[Sbyrne97]

damn rusted bolts....i tried to install my new warrior shackles today with no luck ran out of time before work........frustrated but not deterred...i shall be victorious

Rancho 5000 shocks came in the mail today....so they should be on by monday...Today i had a weird thought about changing all the lights to orange...like bmw....I always thought orange dash lights would be cool....

The mod could be done with Leds and orange film/paint....

Oh does anyone know if the LCD in the radio is film or is that the only color it will ever light up...sorry I don't know much about lighting....

 

[Sbyrne97]

Warrior Shackles!!

Got em on just before sunset....Took a day and a half...got stuck on one bolt and had to get my dad to help me out....but they look great

Old shackle...I had to bend it due to a rusty bolt

Need to get some wirebrushing and hit up the rear frame mount...looking all rusted

didn't get to put my rancho's on...kinda scared but.....it will get done

 

[BrianDye]

Change your sig now

 

[Lacky01]

nice rig!

dont be afraid of the shocks, those are easy! you'll be an expert after the first one.

 

[Sbyrne97]

So I bolted in the front rancho 5000's today...two of the old shock bolts broke in half...They haven't been changed since 100,000 miles and Im currently slightly below 190,000 miles.....so needless to say it was a good investment...plus ride seems to have improved so plus on that....going to get the rears on tomorrow or sometime this weekend...I got a midterm and work till sat...heres a few shots

PS thanks Lacky01 for the support and compliment and to be honest it wasn't bad at all

The work station...no garage

I don't know anything about rims or wheel weights....is it ok to only have one it's on both sides and they're not exactly opposite eachother

On another note...My muffler seems to be making a strange noise...it sounds like something is turning and grinding against something....if that makes any sense....time for a new performance one I guess ...any suggestions?

I'm currently pretty happy with the ol truck :exporange right now....theres loose ends to tie up here and there but she runs great and I don't see myself getting a new truck anytime soon....

 

[Lacky01]

very cool, I see you're taking the "backyard mechanic" thing a little literally! :